Joint European X-ray Telescope (JET-X)

This is a real space telescope, the largest ever constructed in Britain. It was built to study X-rays from high-energy cosmic events. These are absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere, so scientists study them from space.

JET-X was designed as part of an international space observatory led by the Soviet Union. Political upheaval meant it never flew, but its design advancements have been successfully used on other missions.